Sales of new vehicles in Serbia are in decline, as is the import of used cars.
Optimistic projections of individual analysts and global financial groups that cars could become cheaper in the second half of the year do not seem realistic. The situation on the global market has not stabilized and currently, there are no changes that would indicate that prices will go down.
In one year, the prices of passenger vehicles in our country rose by an average of 30 percent, and used ones by 24 percent, while the waiting list for the cars to be delivered to buyers is on average several months, while, for some models, it is almost a year.
The Secretary General of the Serbian Association of Importers of Vehicles and Parts, Aleksandra Graovac, says that 5.33 percent fewer new vehicles were sold last year than in 2021.
“In 2022, 28,835 new passenger and light commercial vehicles were registered for the first time, which is 1,625 less than the 30,460 sold in 2021. However, there is a growing demand for electric cars of which 170 passenger and 57 light commercial vehicles were sold. That’s a total of 227 vehicles compared to 113 in 2021,” Graovac adds.
The best-selling new models in Serbia, he adds, are in the price range of 15,000 to 25,000 euros.
“Of the used vehicles, the most sought after are those that are the cheapest. The largest percentage of imported used cars is between ten and fifteen years old”, Graovac states.
She points out that it is implausible to forecast how the prices will fluctuate this year.
“Circumstances on the global car market have not changed, especially considering the situation in Ukraine, where many producers are affected. Parts are still in short supply, turbulence continues, and prices are unlikely to drop,” Graovac notes and adds:” Almost half of the buyers, or 49.23 percent of them, have said that they have postponed their purchase due to the current situation in the world, and 12.55 percent said that they completely gave up. Almost a third of those surveyed, 32.67 percent, say that current events did not affect their decision to buy, and 5.54 percent will decide to buy even faster because they believe that prices will rise in the coming period”.
(eKapija, Večernje Novosti, 06.03.2023)
https://www.ekapija.com/news/4052333/da-li-ce-vozila-pojeftiniti